Friday, 13 July 2007

Well here we are at the middle of July, and I don’t think I have much news, but I’ll have a go anyway!

Milord’s mum is really ill. Her lung cancer is growing in spite of the chemotherapy now, and it has come to the point where the treatment would probably kill her sooner than the disease so they’ve stopped it. She’s been given a few months to live and Milord and his sister are taking turns in being with her 24 hours a day at her home in Brisbane. She wants to stay at home for as long as possible before going into a hospice, but someone has to be there all the time. Milord's sister has suspended her job to be there during the week, and m'Lord is flying up most weekends to take over and let his sister go home to her family. It is very hard on them all.

So I’ve had the house to myself rather a lot recently. At first it was rather nice to have some space, but I’m over it now and miss him terribly. That is, until he comes home and grumps around the place like a bear with a sore head. I know it’s my job to absorb it and be cheerful, but I’m kind of over that too! Some days I feel like moving in with a mate and letting him and his horrible cat grump at each other instead. Bad girlfriend.

The househunting has been pretty awful. We’ve decided that it is one stress we can do without at this time and are taking a break from it. I don’t know when we’ll start again, but hopefully at the end of the year. I really miss my little house in England sometimes, and I’ve been ever so homesick lately. Probably because I just don’t like the house we are in now, and being in it alone really brings home what I am missing.

Anyway, enough moaning.

As you know, my permanent visa came through the other day (yay yay yay!) and I have to go out of the country to get it. We have booked to go to New Zealand in September, for a few days of skiing in Queenstown and a hop to Auckland to get my visa and visit Heidi. I’m a bit nervous about skiing as it’s been about 5 years, and Milord and I have started exercising to build up our thighs. Hopefully it will all come back once I’m up the lift looking down the mountain!

Speaking of exercising, I have signed up for a Sydney fun run called the City to Surf, which is a 14km run from the centre of the city to Bondi beach. The main reason I signed up was to have an incentive to get running to hopefully shake off some weight. Sadly I’m doing something wrong, because although I am fitter and faster I am actually gaining weight! Running isn’t supposed to build muscle, is it? I have also started using a personal trainer once a week, and she’s killing me. Lunges, squats, press-ups, all the things I really don’t like! Hmmm, maybe that’s where the “muscle” is coming from… On the positive side I have beaten my personal best around the Bay, at last! Tomorrow I intend to try to run the Bay twice, as that is pretty much the same distance as the City to Surf. I imagine I’ll be walking most of the second circuit!

That’s about it, not very interesting… We’re trying to pay off our credit cards so aren’t getting out much, it’s quite cold and surprisingly wet.